Gorging on bacon and burgers? Turning up your nose at fish, nuts or vegetables? These are among food habits that new research links with deaths from heart disease, strokes and diabetes. Overeating or not eating enough of ... 10 foods and nutrients contributes to nearly half of U.S. deaths from these causes, the study suggests. “Good” foods that were under-eaten include: nuts and seeds, seafood rich in omega-3 fats including salmon and sardines; fruits and vegetables; and whole grains. “Bad” foods or nutrients that were over-eaten include salt and salty foods; processed meats including bacon, bologna and hot dogs; red meat including steaks and hamburgers; and sugary drinks. The research is based on ... data showing there were about 700,000 deaths in 2012 from heart disease, strokes and diabetes and on an analysis of national health surveys that asked participants about their eating habits. Most didn’t eat the recommended amounts of the foods studied. The 10 ingredients combined contributed to about 45 percent of those deaths. For example ... excess salt can increase blood pressure, putting stress on arteries and the heart. Nuts contain healthy fats that can improve cholesterol levels, while bacon and other processed meats contain saturated fats that can raise levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol. In the study, too much salt was ... linked with nearly 10 percent of the deaths. Overeating processed meats and undereating nuts and seeds and seafood each were linked with about 8 percent of the deaths.

Note: This study referenced above can be found here, in the Journal of the American Medical Association

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- Jim

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched — they must be felt with the heart." — Helen Keller

In 2010, New York City launched the National Salt Reduction Initiative, a salt-reduction plan aimed at lowering salt in processed foods and restaurant meals by 25 percent in the next four years.

Two years later, Dr. Sean Lucan of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine wrote an article published online in the American Journal of Public Health, saying:1

"We cannot extrapolate that lowering sodium consumption would reduce cardiovascular risk or premature death. Despite assertions to the contrary, we do not know that reducing mean population sodium intake would decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease or save lives."

"We can't just swallow this as fact — there's actually debate about this. My concern is that they're focusing on a single ingredient that the food industry is going to have to replace with something — and what they replace it with might be more damaging."

Lucan also noted that the relationship between sodium and blood pressure is inconsistent and from a clinical standpoint, insubstantial.

Moreover, he stressed that some studies actually show a low-salt diet can worsen cardiovascular disease and raise rather than lower the risk for early death among patients at high risk of heart disease.

In addition, lowering salt intake could also decrease insulin sensitivity and have an adverse effect on blood lipids. Correctly, Lucan noted that "Refined carbohydrates are a greater enemy."

Good to know. I trust Mercola. Where's the balance? I try to keep my sodium lower than 2000mg. Much lower if possible. I do avoid any food with sodium nitrite/nitrate. That means bacon for sure, and processed meats. I only use sea salt at home. There's so much more I need to do for myself.

These statistic are really surprising . 700,000 deaths in one year, and then also people tolerate this and not taking it seriously. Its time to take action ,and stop these processed foods , so that people can lives their full life. One thing i can take lesson from this is to reduce the amount of salt in my diet.

Good to know. I trust Mercola. Where's the balance? I try to keep my sodium lower than 2000mg. Much lower if possible. I do avoid any food with sodium nitrite/nitrate. That means bacon for sure, and processed meats. I only use sea salt at home. There's so much more I need to do for myself.

We don't eat bacon or beef frankfurters that often, mostly when out camping, but when we do we always buy the nitrate/nitrite free brands. Coleman is best tasting, in my opinion for the franks.

First of all salt contains only 3 minerals, sodium, chloride, and iodine.,and yes too much of this is no good. On the other hand a good quality sea salt will NOT raise blood pressure, and is very, very healthy. Heart attack is usually caused by being deficient in selenium, stroke is usually caused by being deficient in omega 3 fastty acid, (85%) or the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 and 9 is out of balance.(10%) Artery "blowouts" are usually caused by being deficient in copper, and type 2 diabetes is caused by being deficient in chromium and vanadium. This shows the importance of minerals in health!

It's interesting that red meat is not one of the causes of the largest amounts of death, but high processed meats are. The article mentions that 1 serving of red meat a week is recommended but no servings of processed meats is recommended.

Quote:

Of these, an estimated 318 656...45.4% cardiometabolic deaths per year were associated with suboptimal intakes [of the good foods-nuts/seeds, fruits & veg, seafood omega-3 fats, whole grains, according to article. ]48.6% in men, 41.8% in women; 64.2% at younger ages (25-34 years) and 35.7% at older ages (≥75 years); 53.1% among blacks, 50.0% ) among Hispanics, and 42.8% among whites; and 46.8% among lower-, 45.7% among medium-, and 39.1% among higher-educated individuals..

Noteworthy that 64.2% of deaths for not eating enough good foods for people 25-34 years old. Higher than deaths for eating bad foods. I wonder if the bad foods will catch up with them when they're older, however, they definitely need to be eating more good foods. No vegetables and many parents don't make them eat them. I guess nuts aren't a snack like they used to be. Fast food, junk food. I've been wondering what it will be like when this generation reaches 40, 50, 60, 70 years old. They're getting sicker earlier (diabetes, heart problems, obesity, chronic diseases, etc) and I'm assuming the life expectancy is going down for them.

Good to know. I trust Mercola. Where's the balance? I try to keep my sodium lower than 2000mg. Much lower if possible. I do avoid any food with sodium nitrite/nitrate. That means bacon for sure, and processed meats. I only use sea salt at home. There's so much more I need to do for myself.

Please read the Salt fix by Dr James J. DiNicolantonio. The Data on Low sodium in a diet was never science.
Mercola sells his own brand of Supplements, and not all; of what he says is science backed.